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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Exodus 21:1-11

The Exod. 21:1 is the general title of the laws contained in this and the two following chapters, some of them relating to the religious worship of God, but most of them relating to matters between man and man. Their government being purely a Theocracy, that which in other states is to be settled by human prudence was directed among them by a divine appointment, so that the constitution of their government was peculiarly adapted to make them happy. These laws are called judgments, because they... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 21:9

And if he have betrothed her unto his son ,.... Not caring to betroth and marry her himself, as being more suitable in age for his son than for himself: he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters ; as if she was his daughter, and give her a dowry: or the son shall treat her after the manner the daughters of Israel are treated when married, by giving her food, raiment, and the duty of marriage, so Jarchi: or after the manner of the daughters of Israel that are virgins, and who... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 21:10

If he take him another wife ,.... The father takes another wife for his son, or the son takes another wife to himself after he has betrothed and married his father's maidservant: her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish ; neither deny it her in whole, nor lessen it in part, but give her her full due of each. What is meant by the two former words is easy, and admits of no difficulty, the latter is differently interpreted. Some take it to signify no other than... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 21:11

And if he do not these three unto her ,.... Not the three things last mentioned; though this sense, Aben Ezra says, many of their interpreters give, which is rejected by him, so do some Christian expositors; but these three things are, espousing her to himself, or to his son, or redeeming her by the hand of her father; that is, letting her be redeemed by him, as the Targum of Jonathan; and so Jarchi, Aben Ezra, and Ben Melech: the meaning is, if one or other of these things are not done: ... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 21:9

Betrothed her unto his son, he shall deal with her - He shall give her the same dowry he would give to one of his own daughters. From these laws we learn, that if a man's son married his servant, by his father's consent, the father was obliged to treat her in every respect as a daughter; and if the son married another woman, as it appears he might do, Exodus 21:10 , he was obliged to make no abatement in the privileges of the first wife, either in her food, raiment, or duty of marriage.... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 21:11

These three - Her food, שארה sheerah , her flesh, for she must not, like a common slave, be fed merely on vegetables. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 21:1-11

Regulations for the treatment of slaves. I. THE CONDITIONAL ELEMENT RUNNING THROUGH THESE REGULATIONS . What a difference there is here from the strong, uncompromising imperatives of Exodus 20:1-26 ! There we feel that we have to do with man, not only as he is at the time, a Hebrew in the wilderness, but with every man, in every age, and in all sorts of social circumstances. The ten commandments simply assume humanity and society. But the regulations now to be considered... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 21:2-12

Hebrew bond-service. The laws relating to this subject are to be found, in addition to those in the present chapter, in Exodus 12:43-45 ; Exodus 22:3 ; Le Exodus 25:39 -55; Exodus 26:13 ; Deuteronomy 12:12 , Deuteronomy 12:18 ; Deuteronomy 15:15-19 ; Deuteronomy 16:11 , Deuteronomy 16:14 ; Deuteronomy 21:10-15 ; Deuteronomy 23:15 ; Deuteronomy 24:7 . An impartial examination of these laws will show how fallacious must be every argument attempted to be deduced from... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 21:2-35

The slave laws. Slave laws belong to all communities, and not to some only, slavery being really a universal and not a partial institution. In the most civilised communities of modern Europe, there are two large classes of slaves—lunatics and criminals. The law openly condemns these last to penal servitude, which may be for life; and this "servitude," as Lord Chief Justice Coleridge has repeatedly pointed out, is simply a form of slavery. Ancient communities differed from modern— 1 .... read more

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